Chairman of Toti Conservancy, Laura Taylor presented an informative talk on the dangers of cellphone radiation at Toti library on Wednesday evening, 12 August.
The presentation was in response to residents’ concerns about the erection of a cellphone tower in School Road this month.
“We had about 35 people attend. It was not as good as I had hoped,” said Laura. “Of those 35, four reside within 100m of the School Road tower.”
Laura has personal experience of the results of living in close proximity to a tower, which she shared with her captive audience.
“I used to live in Marion Road, St Winifreds, about 120m from the Link Road tower and about 600m from the larger Umbumbulu Road tower. I had heard it’s not good living so close, but didn’t think.”
Laura’s health soon started deteriorating, as well as her two teenage sons and helper.
“I suffered from exhaustion and constant headaches. My immune system deteriorated and I was constantly sick. I also had a brain fog and could barely think. My boys were always sick and my helper suffered from dizziness so badly, she would often collapse.”
Laura started researching the effects of cellphone radiation and made contact with Tracey-Lee Dorny, who started the Electromagnetic Radiation Research Foundation of SA and won a battle against iBurst to remove a wi-fi mast it had erected 30m from her bedroom window in Fourways, Johannesburg.
Laura got Leonard Els of the University of KZN to take radiation readings in her home. “The larger tower was the more powerful of the two, but what was disturbing was my cord-less phone emitted four times the amount of radiation of the large tower, 24 hours a day. It was like having a mini cellphone tower in my house.
The larger tower emitted one volt per square metre against four volts per square metre of the cord-less phone.
Laura screened her house with silver lining, which did decrease the amount of radiation permeating her home, and eventually moved.
In her research she learnt 2% to 3% of the world’s population are electro hyper-sensitive, 10% to 15% are electro sensitive, which she falls under, but 100% are affected by cellphone radiation on a biological level. She cannot use a smart cellphone, which emits more radiation than the older models.
She has since heard that a family who lived in a house adjacent to the Link Road tower where their son was conceived and grew up, has recently learnt the 12-year-old boy now has an inoperable brain tumour.
Four years ago, Laura, with assistance, mapped cellphone towers and antennae in the Toti area and recorded an unbelievable 30 from Illovo Beach to Athlone Park.
“With more exposure, the more sensitive you become. Wi-fi affects me badly. The ideal distance to live from a tower for someone who is electro sensitive and children is 2km. I’m now living 800m from a tower and can still feel it. “
